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Hi all - I'm getting very slow flow in my RIMS system and it's leading to some temperature fluctuations - since not much volume is flowing past the element, it heats up the tube too much, then shuts off for too long as the next volume is pushed in, etc. I'm using one of the 18" stainless...

So I just recently discovered the wonder of Barkeeper's Friend - at least for use on really thick, tough stainless steel equipment like my brewing pot. Does anyone use Barkeeper's Friend on the insides of your Corny kegs? I ask because it seems pretty abrasive and they appear to be sealed...

Can someone explain to me in detail how to avoid stuck mashes / sparges with a false bottom? I do only infusion mashing right now and am considering switching to RIMS, and it seems like a stuck mash could really mess up a pump. My current setup: I use a 5-gallon round cooler (would consider...

My next project is an old ale, and I have one bottle remaining of my favorite example brew (bottle conditioned -- looks like a huge layer of yeast on the bottom too; score!). From some previous posts in this forum, I have a pretty decent idea of what to do, but what's an approximate schedule...

So, how does chill haze work? I just started cracking open my latest batch, a pale Koelsch; the first few bottles I just put in the fridge briefly, for like 20-30 minutes, then poured into a glass. Very clear, but cold enough to be tasty. Last night, I put a 6-pack in the fridge and now I...

What's the most black patent malt you've ever used in a 5 gallon batch, and how was the resulting beer? Some sources (I'm especially thinking Palmer here, in "How to Brew") warn that anything over about 8 ounces will make a beer taste like charcoal. I want to make a porter with no roast, and...

So I was at the LHBS the other day, and asked if they had any Biscuit malt. The guy pointed to a barrel, and it said "Belgian Bisquit, 22L" on the top. It was the only choice, so I bought it anyway. Has anyone ever run into Belgian Bisquit, as distinct from regular ol' Biscuit, before? I...

Ok, kind of an over-think-ish question here; rest assured that I'm chilling out and having a homebrew ;-) Today I decided to do a "mini" mash that kind of pushed the limit of my (16qt pot) equipment. The grains wouldn't fit in a grain bag so I decided to mash them and then filter with a...

Yet another Corny question (I'm investing in a couple of them, it seems). I just talked to the guys at the LHBC and they say that, in addition to the kegs themselves, I'll need probably $200 of gear to get started kegging (bottle of CO2 plus regulator plus tubing and misc). So, as an...

I just saw an ad for a used Cornelius soda keg that's been "machine washed" and has "new o-rings." I've also seen numerous recommendations online that one should only buy reconditioned Cornies because reconditioning them yourself is such a pain. So... does that sound reconditioned enough, or...

I'm trying to recreate a particular hard cider I "made" once totally by mistake; help me figure out how to do it on purpose this time. Several years ago, when I still lived in rural Michigan, we'd go to the local apple orchard and pick up gallons of cider every fall. Once, I left a gallon...

Does anyone know a good grain bill (or extract bill, or combination) I would use to roughly replace the Mountmellick Stout extract in a recipe? Here's a page about the Mountmellick I got; not a lot of detail though: http://www.ebrew.com/mountmellick/stout.htm I don't need a scientific...

I understand, from "How to Brew", that many adjuncts (I'm especially thinking oatmeal here, for a porter) require mashing with an enzymatic base malt to become fermentable. My question is, what's an appropriate ratio of base malt to oatmeal, given that I'm only doing a partial mash rather than...

Hey, Who's tried White Labs' Koelsch yeast? How prominent was the sulfur smell during fermentation? How long did it take in secondary/lagering to disappear? I'm going on 3 days of stinkage and it's disconcerting. But I'm still in primary so who knows...

OK. So I just threw down a recipe with 3.3 pounds of syrup (so, 80% of that is sugar = about 2.7 lbs), 2 pounds of dry extract, and 2 pounds of grain in a partial mash. even if you assume a HORRIBLE mash yield of 25%, that's 5.2 or so pounds of sugar, right? And according to an SG calculator...

Hey, I'm trying to make a spiced stout, kind of along the lines of the various spiced ales, but, you know... a stout. I have a pretty decent idea of the spices I'll use, but what kinds (and amounts) of hops should I use to keep it nice and malty? Looking to make a 5-gal batch here if that...

OK, so I threw down my first beer this weekend, and less than a day later it was bubbling less than once per minute! Can it really be done so soon? The beer was an Irish Stout out of a kit (plus a pound of oatmeal in the grainbill because I like oatmeal stout). After seeping the grains and...